Parasyte Part 1 (2014) (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region 3

The film quickly gets down to business, opening with a horde of parasites arriving on earth and taking over human hosts by burrowing into their brains, controlling their bodies and transforming into monsters to feed on flesh. Saved by his headphones, high school student Shinichi (Sion Sono regular Sometani Shota, recently in the awesome Tokyo Tribe) finds a parasite setting up residence in his hand instead, a sentient being calling itself Migi (voiced by Abe Sadao). As the two gradually get used to life together, they come up against other parasites who are working their way through the local human populace, while a parasite occupying the body of a science teacher (Fukatsu Eri, Villain) takes an interest in their odd co-existence.

There's certainly a lot going on in Parasyte, and it definitely seems to have been a wise decision to split the manga into a two-parter. Coming first, Yamazaki Takashi's here inevitably spends a lot of time with set up and with exploring his cast of characters, human and otherwise, though the script is well balanced in this respect, successfully and coherently combining its various genres and influences. While the parasite and the physical and mental changes it results in for Shinichi is a fairly obvious metaphor for the usual onset of puberty theme, it does make for some interesting and creative twists, its Cronenberg-style body horror resulting in a metamorphosis that brings both brings power and inconvenient and destructive problems. Though a fairly generic protagonist, Shinichi is sympathetic enough, and Sometani Shota shows somewhat more range than in other films, managing to convey his gradual shift from confused to something more mature and possibly sinister as he and the parasite strengthen their symbiotic bond. Though it'd be going too far to accuse the film of real substance, it's certainly more thoughtful and considered than most other manga adaptations or cult Japanese sci-fi horror, and as such it should have a broader appeal for a general audience.

This is undermined a little by some uneven pacing, with the film suffering from a few slow stretches in which very little happens, mostly in relation to Shinichi's high school life, and which are likely to frustrate viewers hoping for more parasite action. The film does pick up steam as it goes on, though the final act suffers from trying to pack in far too much, and while it does a good job of teasing some potentially interesting and far-reaching developments, these might have been better spaced out and explored in more detail. Still, the questions posed for the follow-up do pique the interest, and the final cliff-hanger conclusion feels like a vaguely natural cut-off point.

The film benefits from some solid production values, and looks considerably better and slicker than a number of others of the type. The special effects are mostly of a high standard, a couple of instances of shabby CGI aside, though the strange look of the parasites might put some viewers off, their design being both cartoonish and grotesque, and lacking any sense of believability or real-world physics. The slightly surreal air that this results in is however clearly part of Yamazaki's approach and plan for the film, and it does have a fittingly other-worldly air that successfully combines with its more down to earth and mundane aspects. The gore also helps, the film packing in several surprisingly gruesome and bloody set pieces, including the requisite classroom splatter gag, a fact which should ensure that it goes down well with the cult film crowd. This similarly adds a visceral edge and a certain level of unpredictable threat, which Yamazaki makes the most of to up the tension as the stakes are slowly raised.

Though flawed, Parasyte has a lot going for it, and manages to entertain and succeed where other manga adaptations or part one films have floundered. Enjoyable and imaginative in its own right while whetting the appetite for the coming sequel, it's another fine offering from Yamazaki Takashi, who again proves himself one of the best Japanese directors when it comes to doing something more interesting with the blockbuster form.

by James Mudge - EasternKicks.com